Retired General Advances to Battle New Hampshire Incumbent Hassan for US Senate Seat

Retired Army Brig. Gen. Don Bolduc fought past 10 candidates to win New Hampshire’s Republican primary for U.S. Senate on Sept. 13.

By 5:05 a.m. ET on Wednesday, Bolduc claimed more than 37 percent of the vote, with more than 88 percent of the votes reported, according to Decision Desk HQ.

Meanwhile, incumbent Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) easily won the Democratic primary with more than 93 percent of the vote.

Bolduc will face Hassan and Libertarian Jeremy Kauffman in the general election on Nov. 8.

U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) speaks at a Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs/Rules and Administration Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington on March 3, 2021. (Shawn Thew/Pool via Getty Images)

Hassan, who’s finishing her first term, holds a slight edge in the fall, according to political forecasters who weigh in on races around the country. But a sagging approval rating with N.H. voters has left her “vulnerable” to possible defeat, pundits say.

So money for advertising is expected to flow into the state from both major parties over the next eight weeks, as they struggle to pull ahead with voters before Election Day.

Until recently, the country’s leading forecasters predicted control of the U.S. Senate would flip back to Republicans, who were expected to pick up 1-3 seats in the November election.

Now, clear leads in several races have evaporated, and forecasters no longer agree on which are considered toss-ups.

Heisman Trophy winner and Republican nominee for U.S. Senate Herschel Walker speaks at a rally on May 23 in Athens, Ga. (Photo by Megan Varner/Getty Images)

Races in Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin seem to teeter on the edge of going in either direction. Politicos use the words “tight” and “close” to describe them.

In New Hampshire, Hassan, a former governor of